On Wednesday, a Central Pennsylvania school district voted 5-4 against the formation of a gay-straight alliance at a high school where LGBT students have been meeting informally for two years.

A vote by the Chambersburg Area School District in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, was originally scheduled for January, but was tabled. Students from Chambersburg Area Senior High School resubmitted their petition this week with requested revisions included and several adults willing to serve as advisors, but were they shot down.

“The Chambersburg Area School Board sent a disturbing message to their school community that essentially denies the existence of LGBT students,” remarked Jason Landau Goodman, director of the Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition (PSEC), a youth-run organization defending the rights of young LGBT people.

PSEC maintains that the Federal Equal Access Act of 1984 requires schools districts to either allow GSAs to form, just like other extra-curricular student club, or suspend all non-curricular activities. The group is willing to pursue legal action if the board doesn’t reconsider by its next meeting on March 27.

In 2012, two Central Pennsylvania school boards denied permission for GSAs, but later reversed their decisions.

“We believe every child has the right to be bullied until they commit suicide, it’s every god fearing americans christian nation with a white president to allow young people the right to force others into a condition where they feel suicide is the only option, it is in the interest of christian values that we abandon the young”

There are many cases where lawsuits have been required to get government entities to live up to their obligations on any number of issues so good for the youth for sticking with it.

Mar 1, 2013 at 8:39 pm · @Reply ·

Dakotahgeo

GSA… Gay, Straight Alliance. The school believes there are no GLBT students in their school. Well… how about Straight students? No straight students either?? Wow! This is challenging… an entire school of asexual students! Their Prom should be a gas!

Sue the School District and Administration into oblivion! Close it down… Heyyyy, no more problems! No more school! (Sounds like a sequester situation!). Unnnngh!!!